


But, You're My Dork

by xswestallen



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Adorable Barry Allen, Adorkable, Batman References, F/M, Fluff, Internal Monologue, POV Iris West, Star Wars References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-23 23:03:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13200450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xswestallen/pseuds/xswestallen
Summary: Iris appreciating Barry's nerdiness over the years.





	But, You're My Dork

When Iris showed Barry her new crystal necklace, she was hoping he’d think it was cute. She didn’t think it would turn into a science lesson on how light works. Iris showed it off as they sat down for lunch in the courtyard. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the light reflecting through the crystal created a rainbow.

“Isn’t it pretty?” Iris gushed.

“Yeah.” Barry was smiling, but looking at Iris instead of the rainbow.

“What is it?” Iris asked when she noticed him looking at her.

Barry shrugged. “Nothing. Just wondering, do you know what causes your necklace to create rainbows?”

Iris shook her head. Barry’s eyes lit up like he’d just been given an unexpected present. Iris knew why, he loved telling her about science, his favorite subject. Even though it sometimes got annoying, Iris liked listening to Barry explain things. He knew so much more than most of the other kids in their elementary school. Iris thought she learned more from hanging out with Barry than she did in the actual classroom. He had a way of making everything he talked about seem exciting. It must be the passion he feels for the subject.

“Well, the crystal acts as a prism.” Barry explained. “The light from the sun is white. When the light enters the prism, the different kinds of light within white light are reflected at different angles, because they each have unique wavelengths. Each color bends through the crystal at a different angle, resulting in a fanning out and separation of white light into the colors of the spectrum.”

Iris took a moment before responding to savor the look of wonder in Barry’s eyes. The sun was shining so bright, it gave his green eyes the appearance of a sparkling emerald. “Huh. I never knew that.”

“And did you know this is just visible light? There is light that human eyes can’t see.” Barry went on. “There are also colors humans can’t see. Did you know that shrimp can actually more colors than us?”

“You’ve got to be joking.” Iris laughed.

“It’s true! I read about it in a book on marine biology.”

“How do you remember everything we need to know for ours tests and still find a way to memorize all this other stuff too?”

Barry’s pale cheeks turned a baby peach shade. He shrugged. “I just love learning, I guess.”

A group of students walking by started laughing. Iris and Barry turned to see that the students were all looking at them. Some of the students were evening pointing as they laughed.

“He’s talking about shrimp!” One of the girls squealed.

“Who talks about shrimp and the colors they can see? What a nerd.” Another boy blurted out.

“You’re such a dork, Barry Allen.” A girl said as the group of students passed.

Iris was angry. Her hands had curled into fists as without her realizing it. She put a hand on Barry’s shoulder. He was now blushing for an entirely different reason.

“Don’t listen to them.” Iris said.

Barry didn’t look at Iris or say anything, he just ate his lunch. Iris could tell he was deep in thought by his furrowed brow and constant scratching of his neck. Nobody would be that captivated by macaroni and cheese and baby carrots. She didn’t want to make him talk if he was uncomfortable, so she ate in silence beside him.

The lunch period was coming to end. Iris gathered their trash on a tray and took it over to the garbage can. Other students were already rising from their tables and heading back inside for their next class. Barry was still sitting at the table, without his food to stare at he was left to look at the ground.

Iris slung her book bag over her shoulder. “Come on, we don’t wanna be late.”

“Do you think I’m a dork?” Barry asked in a low voice.

Iris felt her heart pang. She sat back down beside him, holding his face in her hands. She hated when bullies made her best friend feel bad about himself. Sure, he liked school and nerdy things, but that didn’t give anyone the right to be mean to him.

“Barry, you’re the smartest and nicest person I know.”

Barry’s lips twitched into a smile for a split second. “But, am I a dork?”

Iris now looked down at the floor. She didn’t want to lie, but she didn’t want to make Barry feel bad either. “Yeah.” She admitted. “You are.”

Barry looked crestfallen. “I knew it.”

Iris held his hand. “But, you’re my dork. I like you just the way you are, dorkiness and all.”

Barry tilted his head in disbelife. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Iris said. “You wouldn’t be you if you weren’t a little bit of a nerd. It’s what makes you cute.”

Barry smiled fully now. Seeing it made Iris feel like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

“We better go. We really don’t want to be late.” Iris reminded him.

 

———❀———

 

Iris was putting her chemistry books away in her locker. She felt a tap on the shoulder and spun around to see Abby Putman.

“Hey. What are you doing on Friday?” Abby asked.

“Umm..” Iris thought about her schedule. “I don’t have any plans yet, why?”

“Me, Maria, Kelly, Chad, Tyler, Ryan, and Ashley are going to the waterfront. Do you want to come?”

“Yeah!” Iris said. “What time?”

“Seven. And uh-” Abby leaned in, whispering, “can you give me a ride? I still haven’t gotten my license yet.”

“Of course. I’ll pick you up and we’ll head over to the waterfront.”

“Cool!” Abby clapped her hands excitedly. She made her way down the hall.

Iris returned her attention to her locker. She got her American literature books out and was about to close the door when the picture of her and Barry she put in the door caught her eye. He hadn’t been out much the past few weeks. The anniversary of his mom’s death had just passed. Iris knew how hard this time of the year was for him. She slammed her locker shut and chased after Abby.

“Abby! Abby!” Iris called.

Abby stopped and waited for Iris to catch up. “Everything ok?”

“Yeah.” Iris said, catching her breath. “I just wanted to know if I can bring Barry with us on Friday?”

Abby’s nose scrunched. “Oh.” She said in a less than enthusiastic tone. She looked awkward, until an idea seemed to dawn on her. “He’s in physics, right? I know Briggs is giving a test on Monday, so Barry will probably want to stay home and study for that.”

“The test is Monday. We’re going out on Friday. He’ll have plenty of time to study over the weekend. He needs to have some fun too.”

Abby looked unconvinced.

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Iris joked. She nudged Abby on the elbow, but Abby didn’t soften.

“As if he could get any duller.” Abby muttered.

Iris recoiled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Look, Iris. It’s not that we don’t like Barry. He’s nice and everything. It’s just that he’s a little…..”

Iris glared at Abby. “Go on.”

Abby sighed. “He’s a total nerd.”

Iris raided her eyebrows. “So?”

“So, nerds aren’t fun.”

“Barry is lots of fun.” Iris defended.

“He’s really dorky.”

“I like that about him.”

“Iris, you know what I’m talking about, right?” Abby pleaded.

“Barry is my best friend. If he isn’t welcome, then I’m not going.” Iris said flatly. “Find some other ride.” She pushed passed Abby and stomped down the hall.

“IRIS?” Abby’s voice echoed.

Iris looked back at Abby. “What?”

“Fine.” Abby conceded. “He can come with you. Just, tell him to act cool, ok? Maybe, help him be less of a dork.”

Iris smirked. “No. He’s my dork and I’m keeping him that way.”

 

———❀———

 

“TA DA!” Barry sang. He stood in the middle of the room, looking like Christmas came early.

“Wow!” Iris stepped through the door and looked around. “This is you’re new lab?”

“Yep. I’ll be working the forensics I gathered from Central City’s crime scenes right here.” Barry patted his desk chair.

“It’s really big.” Iris observed. “Aren’t you gonna get lonely in here?”

Barry blushed. “You’ll have to come and visit me.” He teased.

Iris giggled. She took a closer look at the equipment Barry had already arrange in the lab.

“I’m about to run a fingerprint through IAFIS.” Barry announced.

“What is that?” Iris asked. The acronym sounded like a foreign vocabulary word.

“It stands for Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System. It’s the largest database for prints in the country.”

“Allen,” A deep voice spoke.

Barry and Iris turned to the see Detective Chyre standing in the doorway.

“Congratulations on becoming a full fledged CSI.” Chyre said.

Barry beamed with pride. “Thank you, sir.”

“Nice to you again, Iris.”

“You too, Detective. Keep watching my dad’s back.” Iris said.

“So, Allen, did you get a match on those prints?”

Iris rolled her eyes. Of course Chyre didn’t just come up to the lab to congratulate Barry.

“I did!” Barry exclaimed. “I was just telling Iris about how I comapred the print I lifted off the doorknob to the ones in IAFIS.”

Chyre looked confused. “IFA what?”

“It stands for Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System.” Iris told him.

Barry laughed. A serious glance from Chyre refocused Barry. “Umm, right. We got a match. These are the fingerprints of petty thief Jared Morillo.”

“Not so petty anymore.” Chyre huffed. “He stole thousands of dollars from the Central City bank last night.”

“He’s moving up in the criminal world.” Barry joked. His attempt at humor was lost on Chyre. “Hey, it says here that Morillo used to live in Gotham. I heard reports about an environmentalist turned criminal there. She has an extensive knowledge of plants and would use their pheromones to aid in her crimes.”

“You’re still into that nonsense?”

Barry opened his mouth to answer but didn’t speak.

Chyre took the finger print analysis results. “Thanks, Barry.”

“No problem! It’s my job.” Barry called as Chyre left the lab. “Annnnd, he wasn’t listening.” Barry clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, “Cool.”

Iris laughed. “Well, he’ll keep you humble.”

“He thinks I’m a weirdo.” Barry sighed.

“Who cares? Lots of people think you’re a weirdo.”

Barry looked offended. “Hey.”

Iris held up her hands in surrender. “I just meant that you’re a nerd with some, how should I put it, interesting interests? But it’s fine, you are the most adorable nerd in the world.”

“Thanks.”

Iris gave him a hug. “You may be a big time CSI now but you’ll always be my best friend.” She assured him.

“And you’re dork?” Barry asked hopefully.

“And my dork.”

 

———❀———

 

Iris heard the heated debate between Barry and Cisco from the hallway as she approached the cortex. They were so caught up in the argument, they didn’t notice her enter.

“Greedo was going to kill Han anyway. Everyone knew that, he was working for Jabba. Lucas didn’t need to justify Han killing him by adding that stupid Greedo shot into the re-release!” Cisco snapped.

“Kids are gonna watch the movie. Lucas didn’t want them to see one of the main characters kill another character unprovoked. That’s why he had to add that Greedo shot in. It was all to make the parents happy.” Barry insisted.

Cisco shook his head and slammed a hand down on one of the desks. “But that cheapens Han Solo’s character development!”

“How?”

“Han shooting first established him as a true anti-hero. He was being threatened, but it wasn’t to the point he needed to use lethal force! Han basically saying ‘screw this’ and shooting his blaster to turn Greedo into a steaming pile of smithereens was how the film showcased Han as a guy who doesn’t care about the rules. He does what he wants and he’s impulsive.”

“Letting Greedo take the first shot showed that even if Han is a scoundrel, he still has honor. He wouldn’t kill someone in an unfair fight.” Barry maintained.

“Han didn’t give a damn about fair fights. He was rouge. Everything he did was in his own self-interest.”

“Shooting Greedo before Greedo attacked wasn’t in self-interest. He was more skilled with a blaster, he would’ve won in a fair fight and he knew it. That’s why he wasn’t afraid to let Greedo take the first shot. I think that’s important to show how confident Han was. He essentially laughed off Greedo’s assassination attempt and ended the fight with a quick pull of the trigger.”

“It was unrealistic. How is an assassin like Greedo gonna miss a simple, point blank shot? Huh?” Cisco got up in Barry’s face “Riddle me that?”

“UMM HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE STORM TROOPERS?” Barry retorted.

Cisco raised his finger to Barry’s chest. Before he was able to explode with nerd rage, Iris’s laughter caused him and Barry to look up.

“Iris? When did you get here?” Barry asked, swatting Cisco’s finger away.

“Long enough to hear some very compelling Star Wars arguments.” Iris said.

“It’s the most controversial issue of our generation.” Cisco said. “Don’t try to trivialize it.”

Iris only laughed harder and Barry joined in.

Cisco threw up his hands. “I cannot work with people who don’t respect that sanctity of the original Star Wars! I’ll be in my workshop.”

Iris bent over from laughing so hard.

“He’s passionate about Han’s reputation.” Barry said.

Iris sneered at him.

“What?”

“You went full nerd too!”

“I wasn’t on the same level as Cisco.” Barry argued. “Nobody is on his level.”

“That’s true.” Iris tapped a pen on the desk. “You two are different kinds of nerdy. He’s sci-fi references nerdy while you’re science class nobody signed up for nerdy.”

“Which kind do you prefer?”

“They both have appeal.”

“That’s not an answer!” Barry pointed out. “Am I no longer your favorite nerd?”

Iris pouted. “Barry, you will always be my favorite nerd. You have a special nerdy place in my heart.” She rubbed his arm. “You’re my dork.”

 

———❀———

 

Barry speed into the loft. Iris jumped up from the couch and ran over to hug him.

“Did you get them?” She asked, eagerly.

Barry pulled a small box out of his pocket. “I got them!”

Iris shrieked with excitement. Barry took her hand and guided her over to the couch. She leaned against him.

“Here they are.” Barry said as he opened the box.

Two silver wedding bands shone brightly.

Iris gasped. “They’re beautiful.”

Barry took one out. “I take you, Iris Ann West, to be my lawfully wedded wife.” He slipped the band onto Iris’s ringer finger. Her eyes glistened with tears.

“I can’t wait till the wedding is finally here.” Iris said. She lifted her hand to better admire the band. “Then, I won’t ever have to take this off.”

Barry smiled. “I’m excited too.” He kissed the top her head. “Take it off for a second and look at the engraving.”

Iris did as Barry suggested. She looked inside her band and saw the rhythm strip of an EKG. “It’s a heartbeat?”

“It’s my heartbeat.” Barry corrected.

Iris didn’t understand. “What do you mean?”

“I asked Caitlin to give me an EKG, took the results to a jeweler, and had him engrave it.” Barry explained.

Iris looked at him with wide eyed wonder. “Barry!”

He took her hand and placed it over his heart. She felt the pounding and remembered feeling it for the first time after he awoke from the coma.

“This way you’ll always be able to feel my heartbeat.” Barry said.

“Bear, this is the most romantic idea ever. I love it!”

“I’m glad. I was worried you might think it was too……”

“Too what? Too Sweet? Too beautiful? Too much of an example of how you’re the most thoughtful person to ever walk the Earth?“

"Too nerdy.” Barry murmured.

Iris threw her head back and laughed. “It is nerdy.” She admitted. “But, in case you haven’t noticed, I like nerdy.”

Barry brushed his hand against her thigh. “Yeah?”

“Mmm hmm. In fact, I love a dork.”

“I love you.”

Their lips met. Iris thought his lips felt like silk and tasted like candy. She slid her teeth over his bottom lip as they broke apart.

“I want to be your dork forever.” Barry whispered.


End file.
